The Georgia Department of Transportation will suspend all construction-related lane closures on interstates and major state routes from 5 p.m. today through 5 a.m. Jan. 2 in order to ease congestion for the thousands of motorists expected to travel across the state through the first of the year.

The department anticipates more travelers than usual during the holidays since both Christmas Day and New Year's Day fall on Wednesdays this year. Motorists should expect heavy congestion near malls and retail centers, particularly those situated near interstates.

Even though there won't be construction closures, incident management or emergency maintenance-related lane closures could become necessary on any route, GDOT Atlanta District Engineer Rachel Brown said. Also, long term closures may continue to be in place, she said.

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